Have you ever stepped out of the shower and tried to use the foggy mirror over the bathroom sink? The steam covered mirror can be a challenge, particularly to a guy trying to shave. Even if you grab a towel and wipe the mirror, often the image is still not very clear.
In the Apostle Paul’s day, the most common mirror was actually made out of metal, rather than glass. If you looked into the mirror, you would certainly see your image, but it was not as clear as we are used to seeing in our modern mirrors. You could see your face, but not near as well as another person could see you. This reality made the illustration in today’s Scripture text a great way for the Corinthians to grasp the issues relating to our human knowledge. Consider the text with me.
“For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
There are two key words in this illustration crucial to our understanding: “now” and “then.” In this present life (“now”) we only see things as if we were looking in a mirror. Even the best mirrors do not give us the same view of our own face that a person standing right in front of us sees. In Paul’s day, when they used mirrors like the ones described above, it was even more difficult to really see your face well. On top of that consider the word Paul used to describe the image we see while looking in the mirror. The New King James translates the word, “dimly” and this certainly gives us a sense of the concept. In Greek the idea is described with two words, “en ainigma” meaning, “in an obscure saying” or “in a riddle.”
Having given us the illustration of “now” the Apostle states the issues plainly. “Now I know in part.” While he made this point earlier in the chapter, here he ties the concept to the mirror illustration. The point is that even in our best attempts at knowledge we only see a portion of the picture. Only God sees it all. At any given moment, He sees our past, our present, and our future. He knows the end of each decision we make and each path we take. He sees and knows all. However, our best knowledge is limited. It is like looking in a stainless steel cooking pan. We can see our face, but we only get part of the picture.
Praise the Lord it will not always be like this. One day we will see things differently. The future knowledge of the believer is described by the word, “then.” In the illustration Paul says, “but then face to face.” While I can see my face in a piece of metal, my wife has a much better view when she stands directly in front of me and sees the hair I missed while shaving my neck. Why? I am looking at a diminished image, but she is looking at me face to face.
In the same way the Apostle says, “but then I shall know just as I also am known.” Following the illustration, one day my knowledge will no longer be like looking into a piece of metal, but it will be like standing face to face. I will have a much better view of things, just like my wife knows my face better than I do by looking into a poor mirror. When I receive my glorified body, I will understand things much better than I do today. As the old song says, “We will understand it better, by and by.”
The knowledge we have today will one day become obsolete. Yet, “Love never fails!”
Walking by Faith 